Posted by John Admin

British tabloid News of the World is reporting that a fire broke out on the “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” film set on Friday evening. The newspaper cites “explosives used in action sequences” as the cause of the blaze, with firefighters from six fire engines taking 40 minutes to put the fire out. No one was injured and the explosives reportedly were being used to film the “scenes where Hogwarts gets blown up during the battle.” The paper adds that Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) and Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) were not on set at the time, but the special effects crew are “devastated.”Update: This morning, Warner Bros. issued a statement regarding the fire which says:

“It was a big special effects scene. Unfortunately, there was a small fire as a result of that. As a precaution, as we had already mobilised our own in-house fire team who had it under control, the fire brigade was called and it was put out in under an hour.

“There was no damage to Leavesden Studios at all. The actual set was due to be rebuilt anyway. The scene was where the set was being destroyed and then it was to be rebuilt for a new scene, as part of a battle for Deathly Hallows part two.

“The idea that fire ripped through Leavesden Studios is so far from the truth, it’s untrue. It was a very isolated incident. It was put out very quickly and with limited damage.”

Thanks janspach, Bert, Patrick and Elliot for emailing in!

101 Responses to Fire Damages “Deathly Hallows” Set (Updated)

A Chocolate Frog says: Wow, I'm glad no one was hurt and I hope they can get all of the special effects repaired/replenished/straightened out soon! This is one of those cases in which I wish magic actually existed...ronlvr44 says: oh no. :/
this is really bad, i hope they fix everything to get the movie out in time!
glad no one was hurt.jodgomex says: Oh no! this sucks :( im glad no one was hurt lurking_llama says: I'm glad that nobody was hurt and that everybody seems to be okay. Lucida says: Glad no one was hurt! Hope this doesn't push back the film too much. :(Worlds_Away says: Thank goodness no one was hurt! But Hogwarts gets BLOWN UP during the battle? This sounds extreme. Hopefully the setback isn't as bad as it seems at the moment to the special-effects crew.NumeroUnoFan says: at least we know that the explosions were top notchdgfrancis says: Glad no one was hurt
HarryRichardsPotter says: Blimey! This is dreadful. Nobody's hurt that's the main thing :) but the bloody set!!!!!! Ah!!!! 40 minutes to put out, that's a lot of fire.
Hope we get to see that on the special features or something, or is that sick of me to suggest? Ahh well. Sounds good. Just hope Yates doesn't fudge this film up!!!! Grrrrrrrda_member0808 says: Oh no this is bad! But I'ms so glad no one was hurt. It's crazy that it took 40 minutes to put the fire out... it must've been a huge fire. I feel bad for the poor special effects crew. ccking says: I'm so glad nobody was hurt, but this is dreadful!! knowing the crew that works on HP, the set was probably outstanding!!! so much work and effort, too! I hope they make the best of this... :'(( BEST WISHES xxgreenfire says: oh no! I feel so bad for them, there is so much work that goes into the sets and the effects. my heart goes out to them.lpierich says: blow up hogwarts! how could such a thing happen. there has to be some magic that prevents it from happening the founders were some of the powerful wizards of their time. plus 16 years later their kids are going there. if they destroy it who would rebuild it.bookgirl3000 says: Ohh! Thats terrible! All the work that goes into those designs... how devastatng for them!Ginnyrocks117 says: That sucks soo much. I'm glad no onw got hurt, but it is probably going to be a lot of money to repair everything else back :( Hope nothing else goes wrong!Oddape says: See that guy named Patrick in the thanks? Yeah, that's me :P I feel special.
And yeah, I feel horrible for the filmmakers; David Yates must be having a cow!Kissa says: I feel so bad for the special effects crew. :( So glad no one got hurt!HarryPotter90 says: wow, good thing no one was hurt! hope they can fix everything.Sindi says: wow, this sucks, its devastating.. but i'm relived to hear that know one was hurt physically Catherine says: oh, ouch....that really sucks. im glad that no one got hurt though, i just feel bad for the special effects people, this probably set them back along way....why are they blowing up hogwarts anyway?Maxtina Potter says: Oh, that's terrible! I'm really glad no one was hurt, but I hope it didn't destroy a lot... I do NOT want another postponement!RRR says: I am truly happy theat nobody was injured!
Perhaps there is a silver lining, though; if they were truly, as the report says, going to blow up Hogwarts -- which just like the burning of the Burrow, was NOT in the books -- maybe they will scrap that idea now.
I HOPE SO!!!taylor819 says: This is horrible! I'm glad everyone is okay, but I hope the repairs are quick and easy.taoist1 says: So much for November release date. jhangelgurl says: wow. Glad no one was hurt. Hopefully the damage didn't spread very far.nellythemarrow says: Great that no-one got hurt. But I hope they'll be able and allowed to replace the explosives and let's hope no stupid regulations come in that will hinder films from using explosives. Though obviously they probably need to change something. Let's hope they were insured. And that they're given the time to repair what they need to properly and don't end up rushing what they've got left to film.SwedishSkinJer says: As far as Hogwarts getting "blown up" is concerned, they could have meant that sections of the castle sustain serious damage (which also happens in the book). I highly doubt that they are literally blowing everything sky high. SwedishSkinJer says: For example, walls are blasted away, certain sections crumble, etc...
Most of the explosions could have been centered on the main set piece, but not the entire castle.floridianhp says: hogwarts doesnt get blown up. wow this movies gana stink. ugg this stink.floridianhp says: well thank god nobody got hurt.Tassana Burrfoot says: Glad no one got hurt. inspired_by_you says: OMG!! terrible!! :( at least no one was hurt...alicia00 says: wowPrincess Leia says: So glad no one was hurt. And I guess when the castle end up looking trashed it will be really authentic nowmollywobbles23 says: Oh no!
I'm glad no one was hurt, but this is going to set them back.I love my Spectra Specs says: That's horrible! I feel so bad for everyone who has worked on the set! And glad that no one got hurt.Madam Snape says: I'm very glad nobody got hurt, but does that mean the production will be delayed? I sure hope not. Although 40 minutes to put out... that's a lot of fire!geminidreamatl29 says: oh no! thank god no one was hurt but i can imagine how much its going to cost to repair and i hope it doesnt push back part 2s release date.hallows_or_horcruxes says: hope it wasn't fiendfyre!
....
theREALGinnyWeasley says: Aww!! Good thing everyone's okay!theREALGinnyWeasley says: Aww!! Good thing everyone's okay!Mischief.Managed says: That sucks. They must've put so much hard work into it! And to have it blown up? That's too bad.
Thank God no one got hurt though.potterfan4lyfe says: oh wow that's sucks it's a good thing nobody got hurt hope nothing else goes wrongcheeserpleaser says: I am glad to hear that no one was hurt during this unfortunate incident. That said, it is tragic that this had to transpire as they approached the end of filming and I hope that the damage does not affect filming too much in any way.LunaLuver says: Well thank heavens no one was hurt. The poor special effects crew I hope there isnt too much damage.Hermione Elizabeth says: Glad no one was hurt! But if they were going for realistic damage then they must have gotten it on film hopefully. lolacciohorcrux.hbp says: Thank GOD!!! NO ONE WAS HURT!!!! WISH ALL OF U SOME MORE GOOD LUCK FOR SHOOTING......:)
TAKE CARE ALL OF U!! nealiezealbie says: oh no! :((( im so glad nobody was hurt but think of all the work that is ruined! if anyone has ever seen the behind the scenes. (which, i mean, who hasnt?) then you too know how much care and thought go into EVERYTHING--even things not seen directly on camera. this sucks. does anybody know if this will delay the film enough to change any dates? again, so glad everyone is okay! :)Pollytomat says: Oh no! I'm glad there are no victims. I hope they'll be careful from this moment!moglet says: The school does get large chunks of it blown apart by spells, and of course that has to be acheived with pyrotechnics for a film.
I'm very glad no one was hurt, but wonder how long this will take to fix, they are on quite a tight schedule, but this will obviously be for the second film it should not affect the release date of the first one...hopefully!Not Slytherin says: Oh, gosh! Thank goodness no one was hurt. That's the most important thing.
Of course the crew was upset! I'm sure they will be able to fix everything and get back to filming soon. Such a talented bunch! I wish them all the best.TheHeirOfSlytherin2 says: Oh my gosh! I hope this doesn't delay the movie... I wonder if they're tried the Reparo spell to repair it? Hmm...ScarStruck says: Oh my god that's sooooo awful! I hope they can fix it!! I'm glad no one was hurt!sanjuangelina says: Oh no, I hope no one was hurt, I am glad that Dan, Rupert and Emma didn't get hurt, but I would be devastated if anyone got hurt.younghermionegranger says: That would have sucked if Emma Watson,Dan or Rupert got hurt! or even the people on the set!! Good thing no one got hurt!!!
Lillylove says: I'm sure it is a sickening feeling for the set designers & crew that put so much work into those sets. Hopefully it won't set things back to much for them all. A blessing no one was injured.girlatty1 says: Well no one was hurt but damaging the set is bad.
potterforpresident says: Glad everyone's safe. But that should take a lot of money and time to repair everything depending on the amount of damage. Good luck to everyone. :)dreampotter says: I'm just glad no one was hurt! At least it shouldn't delay DH2 if it was minor.forgetmenot_007 says: Oh no...that's awful! Hope everything goes okay...FilmGirl27 says: I'm really glad no one got hurt, PHEW. It sounds as if it was actually a rather large fire, and they are trying to reassure everyone that it was tiny and all was fine etc.
I just really hope the set wasn't damaged too much, that could be trouble. :(Weetzie says: I hope blow up Hogwarts was an exaggeration :S I feel sorry for everyone who gets a lot of extra work to do.Moose_Starr says: Woh ... I'm so glad that no one was hurt but, what a sad thing to happen to the set. I love watching DVD extras and, especially on shows like Doctor Who there are all these precautions when doing explosives, and a whole lot of security measures put in place and, I guess this shows just how dangerous it really can be. Like, when everything goes to plan it all looks so straight forward and, the firefighters and medics seems just a little over the top. I guess not. I am *so* happy that no one was hurt.Nargles18 says: Oh gosh, that's scary.
Luckily no one got hurt!Total-Eclipse014 says: Glad no one was hurt! Too bad about the fire, that's such a shame after all their hard work :( Grimthresgo says: Ok thank God no one was hurt. BUT! Let's digest this statement: "The scene was where the set was being destroyed and then it was to be rebuilt for a new scene, as part of a battle for Deathly Hallows part two." So Hogwarts gets destroyed...in part one?! My heart can't take this anymore.Fresca says: Leavesden says that the fire wasn't too big, and they were going to rebuild that set anyway. That is good news, and I am really glad that no one was injured or hurt.Fifi says: When I saw the title I panicked but I'm relieved no one got hurt. Still all the damage will cost a lot.nwrosey says: could have been worse...BriannaWazHere says: That's horrible,I'm glad no one was hurt though. gingerr_kat says: that's horrible. it's so scary when things like this happen.lunaisawesome says: thats good no one was hurt!!! but poor special effects people, they probably worked hard on it.Stellar Sound says: That's too bad, but I'm glad they got it put out quickly and no one was hurtHermonie says: OMG!! I hope it doesn't set the movie back too long! I have a hope that it will be ready (someone posted this) in November!Giant Squid says: Good thing no one was hurt! :) Too bad about the set. :( harrypotterfreak101 says: That sounds horrible! I'm really glad that no one got seriuosly injured. That could been a disaster. Thank goodness that no serious damage was done to the studio also........ShinyPineapple says: awwws:( terrible, but great that no one was hurt:) oh all the repair and stuff.... why does this happen to harry potter? why cant this happen to twilight?moglet says: They do take lots of precautions, and also have contingency plans in case there is a problem, the particular risks are always made clear. As far as I know it was an outdoor set, so no risk of danger to the studio anyway.maddog916 says: I'm really glad no one was hurt! it's a bummer that it happened, and i hope that it doesn't happen again. sooo excited for Deathly Hallows!PotionsMaster7 says: I probably won't happen again(knock on wood). I excited too! The first part comes out in November. I wonder where part one will end?lurking_llama says: I'm glad to see that WB confired suspicions about the News of the World and their penchant for exaggaration, I'm glad that it isn't nearly as bad as earlier reported.LoveTomRiddle says: I'm so glad that nobody was hurt! Thank goodness, they were planning to rebuild the set in the first place![email protected] says: I'm glad no one get hurts. I hope that everything would be fixed. It just shows how hard they are working for the movies. Good luck to them and I hope nothing like this would happen again. :Dkellbell says: I'm glad that everyone is ok.Want to be a Weasley says: Glad no one was injured and glad that nothing was damaged that wasn't already planned for rebuilding!BellatrixGranger says: glad no one was hurtcallicott3 says: Have any of you acutally READ the Update Statement, issued by WB? Working, in the film industry, I am inclined to believe that there was never any real threat to anyone [or anything] of consequence. I am glad no one was hurt. [Actors OR crew] Let's hear it, for the Tabloids, folks. Don't go al upset, thinking that "something else is going wrong....it will be just like...." It's not even a "set back" [no pun intended] Actually, from this standpoint, it probably saved a bit on having to destroy the bit, themselves, before "rebuild"...JMHOcallicott3 says: @floridianhp*ROAR*:
1. NO, Howgwarts doesn't get "blown up", in the book.
2. The book discribes serious damage, walls falling in, etc.
3. It also discribes the building as "having the look of having been "exploded"
4. Nope. This movie is NOT gonna "stink"....
5. Yes. Thank God nobody got hurt.ToNkS_rip says: NOOOOOO. i cant believe that!!!!!!! but im just glad nobody got hurt....Hagger123 says: ohhhhh nooooo! P.S. HAGRID ROCKS!!whyalltheglitter says: I can't believe it! I hope that doesn't make the wait longer!7Pirates says: wow good no one was hurtharrygetsme says: aww that's too bad. thankfully everyone's alright!Hagrid 713 says: Glad no-one hurt but hope this doesn't change the way they film the battle at Hogwarts - you know, rather than re-build something they jsut use green screen or some backdrop bit o f business - they've been first class so far so I guess we'kl have to hope that they'll continue right up to the end.budb says: This incident actually underscores how fortunate the entire HP film production has been...there have been remarkably few problems when you think about it, and most have nothing to do with the filming/cast. given the scale, and the length of time that the production has continued, it really is remarkable that more things have not gone wrong.
1. the Ford Anglia got stolen (and is still missing I think)
2. the Horwarts express got vandalized
3. JW acted foolishly, and is paying a steep price for his actions --the only cast faux pas that I know of
4. the loss of Richard Harris...no one's fault (here, we should acknowledge as well the loss of several of the cast who held minor roles)
5. Maggie Smith's battle with cancer, which thankfully she appears to have won
--again, no one's fault
6. and now a minor fire at a set due to be destroyed anyway.
given the number of people involved, the decade of production, and so on, truly, its been lucky!
MidnightSun321 says: Oh no!! Glad no one was hurt!
The explosions must be pretty real then!mugglemom4 says: Glad no one was hurt but it is so hard to hear of HP sets being taken down or everything coming to an end. DiamondWings says: good to hear they are OK! too bad that the effects stuff get 'devastated' =Smadman1277 says: close oneAlice Weasley says: Well I'm so glad that no one was hurt!! I feel for all of the crew though, that must be a hard thing. I have complete confidence though, that they will soldier on!Elderwand103 says: That's terrible! I'm very happy no one was hurt.